BDF Celebrates Graduates of International Jungle Warfare Instructor’s Course 2024

The Belize Defence Force (BDF) has announced the successful completion of the International Jungle Warfare Instructor’s Course (IJWIC) 2024, held from September 29 to November 15 at the Jungle Warfare School of Excellence, Guacamallo Camp in the Cayo District.

The intensive seven-week program trained participants to earn the title of Jungle Warfare Instructor (JWI), equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to plan, conduct, and provide training in jungle operations. This year, 21 candidates from an initial cohort of 46 successfully achieved the JWI qualification. Participants represented five countries: Belize, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.

According to the BDF, the curriculum included comprehensive instruction in jungle navigation, survival techniques, live-fire tactical training, jungle caching, patrolling, teaching practices, and the combat orders process. The course also emphasised offensive and defensive jungle warfare tactics, pushing candidates to prove their mental and physical resilience while mastering the skills required to live, fight, and survive in challenging jungle environments.

As newly qualified instructors, the graduates are now capable of training personnel in jungle operations, sharing expertise on tactics, techniques, and procedures essential for jungle combat.

The BDF also celebrated the top three achievers of the course:

1st Place: Corporal Sho Marvin, Gulf Company, Second Infantry Battalion.

2nd Place: Corporal Torres Karem, Force Headquarters.

3rd Place: Corporal Tzub Evander, Alpha Company, First Infantry Battalion.

The IJWIC remains a premier program for building tactical expertise and fostering collaboration among regional defence forces.